SnapChat app popular among high school students

ST. LOUIS (KSDK) - There's a new photo sharing app we want to tell you about.

It's called SnapChat. You might recognize the ghost icon, which is fitting since what you send just might come back to haunt you.

You can take a picture, alter it with writing or other features, and then you can send the photo to another person that has the app.

The recipient gets a notification they have received a photo, and they click on it and have around five seconds to view the photo. Then the picture disappears.

In theory, it's gone forever, but a look through the reviews shows it's easy to do a screen capture of the image to save it for future viewing.

The app is very popular among high school students, who sometimes send explicit pictures.

"There's two ways it can last forever. One is that someone can easily take a screenshot of it, whatever you post on there. And in their terms of service, their privacy agreement they note, even though they disappear it doesn't mean they're completely private. And if you want it to be completely private, don't use it," said Dr. Eileen Solomon with Webster University.

Dr. Solomon also says her advice to parents is to educate children on what they need to watch out for and remind them it could last forever.